


Forget Me Not

by LordAzar



Category: Food Fantasy (Video Game)
Genre: DO NO READ IF YOU HAVE A WEAK STOMACH, DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE SQUEMISH, Do not read if you don't want to be sad, Gen, Graphic Depictions of Illness, Hanahaki Disease, Mentions of Blood, explicit description of illness symptons, mentions vomiting, sorta i mean it's flowers though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-11
Updated: 2018-09-14
Packaged: 2019-07-10 22:44:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15959135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LordAzar/pseuds/LordAzar
Summary: "It's best to have loved, to have never loved at all." Or so they say.





	1. Chapter 1

Your body shook, heaved, and lurched foreword as you were wracked with another wave of coughing. The coughs leaving your throat were wet, as if fluid was trying to push out but to no avail as you felt a lump in your throat blocking it. Tears blurred your vision, your cheeks flushed a painful red. Your knuckles were pure white as you clenched the bathroom sink for dear life. Another cough, another push of liquids trying to get out, a sick wet hack erupted as you practically hit your head on the facet as you finally felt the lump leave your throat. Your breathe was haggard and you forcibly covered your mouth to smother a sob. Your throat felt like it was on fire, hot and prickling, with an unbearable ache to want to scratch at it by digging your own fingers into it. With a shaking hand you wiped your tears away to reveal what had been inside you.

Tiny, innocent and fragile looking blue blossoms greeted your sight. They were glistening with your spit that in a sick way, reminded you of mourning dew. You sniffled and let a small huff of laughter pass your lips. You knew the blossoms meaning, yet you knew it was for nothing. After all, the person you loved....You were merely a second on their eternal clock.

 

Coffee had been one of your first summons, a R ranked Food Soul by guild standards. His ranking you didn't care for, you only cared for him as a person. His enigmatic  way of speaking caught your attention initially. Talks of how he was once considered the "Devil's drink" and feared for it captivated you. As you honestly only saw him as - eccentric. Telling him thus had him giving you a perplexed look, but he rewarded you with a rare case of laughter. A moment you held near and dear in your heart, as you did all other memories of him. From working with one another in the restaurant, to fighting Fallen Angel's alongside one another, even the simple act of sharing his favorite meal of cheese bread was precious....You never would have expected that "bitter yet mellow taste" to linger so in your heart. In fact, it took _root_ there.

Seeing, hearing him give you flirtatious quips - Why, no doubt anyone would have fallen for him. Initially you only thought of it as a passing crush. After all, many of Food Souls were affectionate towards their Master Attendant. Coffee certainly wasn't the first, nor would he be the last and yet...Yet you thought "What if"? What if he really meant what he said? What if he too had developed something towards you? The thoughts jumbled and collided with one another, yet you only thought that it was merely a crush - until a strange feeling began building inside you.

It was more physical than emotional. It began as a tickle in your throat, just a slight itch. Then a fluttering in your stomach, to which Miso had playfully said were butterflies and Chocolate agreeing to it. You played along, yet you couldn't help but think that perhaps it was just a sign of a cold coming on. Later that evening however, as your first fit of coughing occurred did you discover that a cold or even the flu would have been a better blessing than what you were contracting. The coughing fit was tame, yet there was no denying the wave of fear that enveloped you as you felt a surge of something come from your throat. Upon inspecting your hand, you thought that you had lost your mind. Yet there was no denying the blue blossoms that laid there in the light right before your eyes. Hanahaki disease. The realization caused you to weep, in joy and in sorrow. Joy, for there was no greater confirmation that you were indeed in love. Sorrow, for no matter what happened - it was destined to be a tragedy.

After coming to the realization of what you contracted, you kept silent. You knew that your beloved Food Souls would try to get you to confess your feelings. The mere thought caused your heart to ache terribly, and the flowers to bloom rapidly. The fear of being rejected was strong, you were only human after all. Yet the feeling of being the cause of their suffering was worse. If you kept the disease hidden, the blossoms would eventually kill you - and not in a peaceful death, despite how beautiful the flowers were. Yet, one of the cures was so unlikely in your mind, whilst you refused to even think about the other treatment. You hated yourself, you hated this feeling, and yet it all went away when he was near.

_'Just a little longer...I just want to be beside him...That is enough..That is more than enough...'_ You thought, as if it was some sort of prayer. As if it would rot the flowers away by some divine hand. No God would hear you, after all they were fast asleep and abandoned humanity a long, long time ago.

 

Your eyes were spider webbed in red from the forced tears, and your complexion was teetering from a sickly pale to it's healthy shade. There was no way to hide your eyes, but lying had gotten you here well enough. With a shaking breathe, and retrieving the blossoms from the sink - forcibly ignoring the slight _squishing_ sound they gave off - you looked into the mirror once more. Your head shook - as if doing so would get rid of the person looking back at you - you forced the sweetest smile on your face. Despite dying on the inside.

The restaurant was as you left it. Pudding was running the floor, making sure those on waiter duty did their job. The kitchen had Hawthorne and Ochazuke hard at work side by side. It appeared that some of the others had just returned from deliveries as well. Everything was as it should be, down to who was behind the bar. You felt yourself smile seeing the familiar blue catch your gaze.

_'They're the same color of his eyes.'_ You mused to yourself, the flowers being crushed into your grip to hide them as Jiuniang approached you.

"Master Attendant, are you alright?" She asked innocently. Her large pink eyes gazed up at you, her brows were furrowed in concern. A wave of guilt hit you immediately, reminding you of your greatest sin of keeping this secret.

You knelt down to her height, there was no point in trying to hide how your eyes looked anyway. That sweet smile never left your face as you spoke. "I just haven't been sleeping well is all."

The young Food Soul tilted her head in both worry and confusion.

"It's probably due to all the snoring!" You joked, earning you some laughter of some of the others nearby.

"Hear that Miso!!?" Tempura called out.

"Your one to talk!" The monk called back.

The laughter, the radiant happiness of everyone. It seemed as if what you were going through internally was merely a nightmare. A dream, but all dreams must end. All it took was a second - just like the second that you were on all there clocks - one look to see him laugh. To see his eyes sparkle in delight, the flowers flared.

The coughing hit you all once, choking your laughter away in an instant as it did the others. Your hands flew to your mouth, the sweet scent of the previous flowers still in your hand filled the very lungs that were suffocating. You didn't wait, you **couldn't** wait! **THEY COULDN'T SEE!!** It took less than a few seconds to push passed their concerned grasps and run towards the nearest bathroom. The familiar prickling of tears came in an instant, to the pain of hearing them. Hearing their concern and knowing you were the cause of it! The pain rising in your throat was a mere after thought.

The door ricochet off the wall in an attempted to close it. Your hands were clawing at your throat as you felt the familiar lump rising, this time though you felt it was much, much larger. Your tears were blinding you, your body shot with pain as you felL against the tub. Short of breathe, shaking - the fear was unbearable. You wanted to cry, to scream, but you couldn't.

In your panicked state you didn't register the door bursting open behind you. The pair of warm arms enveloping you in concern. Not even the familiar bitter smell drew you out of your panic, but his voice certainly did.

"MASTER ATTENDANT!!!"

You crashed right back into reality.

 

Coffee had registered first how your laughter had turned into a ghastly rasp. Before realizing what it was that he was doing, he had taken after you like a bat out of hell. Seeing you curled onto yourself, shaking, gasping, choking caused his heart to stop momentarily. He pushed against the fear holding him in place and went to your side. You were so pale, you were practically blue and shaking like a leaf. Hacking, wheezing, then there was the tears just gushing from your eyes. It was a terrible sight, one that caused immense pain to go through him. With another wet cough your body lurched foreword and he heard you vomit. He expected to be hit with a putrid, rotting smell - instead it was the sweetest fragrance that had ever graced him, yet there was the slightest smell of copper. As gently as he could, he drew you into his arms. Revealing the most beautiful blue blossoms speckled in red.

 

The next hour had seemed like some sort of foggy dreamscape. He was currently outside, alone in his thoughts yet repeating everything up to a mere moment ago. It started with right after seeing the large "bouquet" of blue blossoms. You just went limp like a ragdoll, and if it wasn't for Milk pushing through the others present to keep him calm why - Why, he honestly didn't know what he would have done. Tiramisu had come right after to inspect their beloved Master Attendant. The cause of their sudden fainting spell was;

"Due to exhaustion." Tiramisu had stated, yet she didn't say all of her diagnoses right there and then. No, they couldn't. They had to first calm down the other younger Food Souls - especially young Jiuniang. After taking them elsewhere in the house, closing the restaurant immediately, and putting their Master Attendant to bed..He along with the others got together in the main dining room, with the blue bouquet on the table. They all knew what it was, it was what some humans considered a "punishment" from the God that left them. As if the Fallen Angels weren't bad enough. In comparison, they were a blessing. Fallen Angels you could destroy or purify, but the flowers they were looking at...There was only two cures that they knew of.

Chocolate was the first to speak. "Hanahaki disease..." He took a sharp breathe, hugging himself slightly. "Master Attendant -"

"Would have already told the person they loved.." Peking interrupted. "Or perhaps they already have and, they did not return their feelings..."

That statement caused a familiar burn to rise in his chest. It was smoldering.

Tiramisu sadly looked down at the flowers, her eyes were glassy. "With how large the flowers are...I, it's," She breathed to calm herself. "We are so blessed to still have them here."

"For how long?" B-52 croaked. No one had to turn to look at him, knowing that he too had tears prickling his eyes. "It's just as you stated. With how large the flowers are, and the blood...Master Attendant's only hope is to undergo surgery."

_"Will they do it though?"_ Was the unspoken question. Humans were complicated, more so love. Would Master Attendant allow the flowers of their affection to simply disappear?

 

That smolder that he was feeling then, was igniting into a fire within him. More so as he realized that his time spent alone had had him wondering right into the garden. He wanted to burn the flowers surrounding him, yet he knew that it wasn't their inherent fault. They didn't choose to be tied with a disease that caused death. Just like Master Attendant didn't choose the person they fell in love with...

"I want to kill them." He said, only the flowers heard him.


	2. Forget me not

When you had awoken, an innocent part of you thought that you were just beginning your day. But the burning, as well as the caked tang of copper in your throat told you otherwise. You sat there numbly, recalling everything. Everyone's face of horror as you ran away and then finding you. Shakily your fingers grazed your throat, you could feel a slight ridging under your skin and swallowing had them tightening. The Hanahaki had spread quickly, it meant that your love was a strong one and yet despite that very thought, all you could think about was; "What would have happened if they were too late?"

What would they think - feel as the Contract just shattered! Leaving them behind in an instant. Without them ever knowing why...They'd blame themselves. They'd ask themselves why they never saw signs of your illness, or they might recall moments where they should have been paying more attention. Moments they merely brushed off without a second thought...Recalling your voice, your gaze to individuals that you might have looked upon fondly...Would they go to them for answers? Would they do something they would later regret? You may have been a mere second on their internal clock, but you'd be a scar that they would carry forever in their hearts....

"Master Attendant...."

Your gaze met his familiar blue ones. The same shade of blue as the flowers growing within you, and the same speckled red. Registering that his eyes were strained, even slightly puffy had you beginning to break. A sob suddenly wracked your form, to which you forcibly smothered. Doing such an action didn't stop him from coming to your side in an instant, taking you into his arms once more. Just like he had found you in the bathroom earlier. His heart ached at the ghastly memory. Coffee wasn't known to be the most comforting, but seeing you like this - the fire from earlier only seemed to get hotter.

"I'm sorry....I-I'm so, so, sorry..." You wheezed out, startling him. Your breathe had become so shallow, in fact when you breathed there was even a slight rattle at the end.

Panic and fear swelled in his chest at the realization, recalling B-52'S words from earlier; _"For how long?"_ Seeing his watch tick by the seconds right as he held you, he didn't realize what he was saying until it was too late.

" _Please,_ get the surgery."

One tick, then two. Taking a small ragged breathe to make sure you were still breathing as you felt the flowers blossom in your chest.

" _Please._ " He repeated. "We can't lose you, none of us can..."

To the world you may be one person; but to one person you may be the world. You were their world, that was a truth that hung heavy in your heart and more so with Coffee. Even if you two were to get together, you would leave him behind sooner or later. Your love was beautiful as it was tragic. Yet as you felt once more the flowers tightening within you, cutting your air - you couldn't help but think. _"Just being beside him is enough, it's more than enough for me."_

Coffee remained ever at your side as you struggled internally. Aware of how your love took your breathe away. He wanted to do the same to whoever caused this.

 

It felt as if someone was putting their full weight on your ribcage. The flowers burned your lungs, each exhale bringing scarlet tinged petals to you. Despite how macabre they appeared, you still cherished them. They were a sign that you had fallen in love in the most strongest form.

You had agreed to the surgery. Shocking everyone, as their time spent as Food Souls had them all experience love in different ways. Some of their former Attendant's died to you. Other's fought for it or in its name. While others still had witnessed it take a twisted form. They all knew that love was precious, and to see you willing to sacrifice it....There were those that felt guilty for it. They felt selfish, to keep you with them. Yet, you still had your whole life ahead of you. This love, didn't have to be your only love - or so they told themselves.

"Do you have any further questions?" The nurse asked you, clipboard in hand and pen at the ready.

You rubbed a small petal between your thumb and forefinger, taking note how soft they were. "No, but I do have a request."

"Anything."

The blue was vibrant, it was one that you couldn't forget. That you didn't wish to forget.

 

Coffee had come with you to the hospital. As a "responsibility." he stated, after all he was the one who had convinced you to be here in the first place. In all honesty, he had thought for sure that you would have delivered every curse known to the heavens upon him. Instead, you had been nothing more than utmost kind. You reassured him that this was for the best. That this way you could be with not only him, but everyone else. Your sweet smile made such an impression in his memory. All he could do was be there and comfort you to the best of his ability. Holding you when the flowers flared too painfully. Keeping you company as the doctors spoke with you of what the surgery would entail. Lastly, holding your hand up till they took you away from him and into the operating room.

There was a spell of bitterness in his heart that he did not understand. The raging fire had been extinguished by it, he should feel relieved yet was far from it. _'It's because they're not here...That's why..'_

 

It felt like an eternity. He had lost track of how many nurses he had stopped to ask how you were doing. Yet the moment he saw those operating doors open he was at your side once more, and had refused to leave until you awoke. The doctors and nurses couldn't refuse him. Not with how trying your surgery had been, but with how emotional they had all come from it. They didn't tell him, but your Hanahaki was the most beautiful they had ever seen.

 

As you slept, he couldn't help but smile. _'This is how you should be...No pain, no sorrow...'_ A knock interrupted his thoughts.

"Beg your pardon." It was the nurse who had been with you before the surgery, and she was holding something. "I came to deliver these." With those words she walked over to your temporary nightstand and placed upon it a large glass cylinder, filled with forget me not's suspended in mid-air by the fluid inside.

Coffee felt a familiar burn in his chest. "Are those..."

"Yes. These are their Hanahaki." The nurse simply stated, giving him a kind smile. Fully aware of the anger that was growing within him. "They asked me, us, to please preserve them. This is a service we provide for those with the disease."

"Why would anyone want to keep such a reminder?" He said, words laced with poison.

"A reminder. As they say; "It's better to have loved, than to have not loved at all." She smiled sadly, her eyes glazing over temporarily.

"They don't deserve Master Attendant's love." He turned from the flowers with a frown.

"Do you know what these flowers mean?"

He remained quiet. A part of him not wanting to know, yet curious as to what Master Attendant's true feelings meant.

"Remembrance during partings, or after death. Reminders of favorite memories, or of time spent together with another person. A growing affection between two people. Fidelity and loyalty in a relationship, despite separation of challenges. A connection that lastly though time. Lastly, true and undying love." She paused, letting the words sink in. "Do you still think that "they" are undeserving of their love?"

He didn't hesitate, his blue eyes narrowing. "Yes. Best to be forgotten in any case."

"Then, you best pray that it comes to pass. Most everyone knows that removing Hanahaki will have those feelings removed from the afflicted, there are two side effects to doing so. One is that they may never be able to love that person again. Then the other is that they may lose all memories of that person. Moments they cherished, yet, I suppose that means that the won't get the Hanahaki again from them." With those final words she left, closing the door quietly behind her. As if she was never there to begin with.

The facts jumbled and collided in his head. He wanted to be angry, the fire in his chest certainly agreed to it. Yet, seeing the beautiful blue blossoms told him otherwise. There were so, so many. To think that they grew from your blood and flesh. He thought he knew enough about humans, yet like always he still had much to learn. How could you continue to love someone who didn't return your feelings? Why would you want to keep such a painful memory of it? Those thoughts caused his heart to tighten, he would have to ask you when you awoke.

 

You slept for a long, long time. He almost called upon a doctor or a nurse, yet just as he was going to execute the action you awoke. Your eyes fluttered open groggily, turning on your side. His heart swelled with happiness, ignoring a growing feeling of something breaking deep within him. As if, it was gradually shattering.

Your bed dipped with his weight, and he took care in touching you. "Master Attendant, how do you feel?"

One breathe, then two. Your lungs swelled fully, with only a minor ache. As if something had been constricting them. Then there was an almost floral taste at the back of your throat, there was even a hint of bitter copper. The tender warmth that you finally registered - how familiar.

"Who are you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second half of Forget Me Not, and what would have been all together with the other part of the fic. Still, I am glad that I separated it. The forget me not's meaning reflects MA's (readers) relationship with Coffee from the beginning. I'd suggest re-reading with the meaning in mind. Also, some of the other meanings may hint as a continuation to this, that's still undecided though. I feel it can be fine as is, yet - not sure. It's just a feeling.

**Author's Note:**

> Guess who got sick and finally wrote this after like a month...I was going to have this bee one huge chapter but, it's almost 1 am and I got school. So it's gonna be separated.


End file.
